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Madison County elections board duplicates seven ballots, approves absentee ballots and poll-worker appointments; privacy concerns raised
Summary
At its Oct. 22, 2024 absentee meeting in Marshall, the Madison County Board of Elections duplicated seven early-voting ballots that failed to tabulate at Beech Glen, approved multiple absentee ballots and poll-worker appointments unanimously, and heard public concerns about voter privacy at early-voting sites.
The Madison County Board of Elections on Oct. 22 duplicated seven early‑voting ballots that would not tabulate at the Beech Glen Community Center and approved a slate of absentee ballots and poll‑worker appointments during an absentee‑session meeting in Marshall.
Chair Jerry Wallin called the meeting to order and the board unanimously approved the agenda. Director Jacob Ray told the board that seven ballots at Beech Glen had failed to tabulate and requested the board authorize duplicating those ballots so bipartisan judges at Beech Glen could re‑tabulate them. The board approved the duplication; Secretary Dyatt Smathers served as the caller, Member Debbie Ponder duplicated the ballots, and Members Ray Lewis and Brian Ball observed. The original seven ballots were retained securely at the Board of Elections office, and the duplicated ballots were returned to Beech Glen for tabulation.
The board also verified the chain of custody for the Absentee DS200 voting equipment and recorded an ending ballot count of 134 before sealing the machine for storage.
By motion, the board approved Republican Jewel Olvera as a member of the Multi‑Partisan Assistance Team. The board tabled the Grapevine chief judge appointment. The board approved two precinct judge/staff appointments: Tracy Vanderman (Republican) as judge at Laurel Precinct and Coleson Garrett (Democrat) as assistant at Walnut Precinct; each motion passed unanimously.
The board moved and passed a series of motions approving absentee ballots from multiple precincts. Approved absentee ballot counts were: Beech Glen, 11; Ebbs Chapel, 7; Grapevine, 6; Hot Springs, 2; Laurel, 2; Mars Hill, 18; North Marshall, 8; Revere Rice‑Cove, 2; Sandy Mush, 7; South Marshall, 4; Spring Creek, 7; and Walnut, 6. The board also duplicated overseas/military ballots and scanned duplicated ballots into the DS200.
Director Ray and several members reported on the start of early voting; Member Ray Lewis visited early voting sites, and Secretary Smathers described escorting Dr. Andy Jackson to an early voting location in Hot Springs. Director Ray noted the board had received incident reports and complaints regarding voter privacy at some early‑voting locations.
During public comment, Cheryl Williams thanked the board for following procedures "by the book." Elaine Robbins raised concerns about privacy at early voting sites and offered recommendations for addressing those concerns. The board announced its next absentee meeting for Oct. 29, 2024, at 3:00 p.m., and adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
The meeting record shows unanimous votes (5-0) on motions noted above; no formal challenges or contested tallies were reported in the transcript.
